■ Sounds in Focus Junior Infants Scrapbook

The Sounds in Focus Scrapbook complements the Exploring Sounds phase of the Infants Programme.

Pupils complete Pre-reading and Pre-writing Activities on the first side of each page on the day that they learn the corresponding sound. They then engage in an art activity on the reverse side of the page. The page is detached from the book and taken home each day to show parents the sound for the day.

Pre-reading Activities

• developing vocabulary – big, little, large, small, long, short, tall, short, same, different, left to right, top to bottom, opposite
• visual discrimination – size, length, shape, missing components • association of ideas – people, fruit, vehicles, animals
• auditory discrimination including everyday sounds and initial, final, medial sounds in words.

Pre-writing Activities

• tracing – clockwise, anticlockwise, top to bottom, straight, curving, circular, left to right, channelling
• vocabulary – left, right, top, bottom, up, down, around, zigzag, curved, curving, circles, back, front
• fine motor – cutting, tearing, scrunching, snipping, folding, fringing, twisting.

Art Activity Ideas involving the icon outline are provided on the reverse side of each page.

These activities develop:

• fine motor skills
• vocabulary
• the ability to follow instructions
• decision making skills
• satisfaction from pleasing outcomes